Although this week's weather has been unseasonably warm, it is indeed fall. The leaves are changing, and it's the perfect time to make a day trip to Keuka Lake to check out the gorgeous views and sample some terrific beers.

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Abandon Brewing Co., based in an early 1800s barn, grows hops and brews beer in a Belgian countryside style.
KAREN MILTNER staff photographer

Starting from Penn Yan in Yates County, head south on Route 54A for your first stop: Abandon Brewing Co., 2994 Merritt Hill Road. Abandon will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on Nov. 1, and what a year it has been. Collaborations, tap takeovers, homebrew competitions, festivals and expansions have kept the team there quite busy.

Situated in a restored 19th-century barn, Abandon Brewing has significantly expanded its brewing capacity since opening. While the original three-barrel system is still in place, a larger 10-barrel system was installed this summer to help brewers keep up with demand. Current favorites are always working in the big system, while head brewer Jeff Hillebrandt is able to experiment with new recipes in the small system.

Abandon currently has a flagship rotation of 12 beers, most of which are available at any given time in the tasting room. After many visits, my personal favorites are the Rye Saison, which pairs an already spicy rye malt with traditional Belgian brewing spices such as coriander and orange peel, and the Black Currant Amber, brewed with New York state-grown black currant juice.

Visitors to the tasting room can also sample from the Woodshed Series, stronger beers such as the Belgian Quad, Imperial Stout, Barrel-aged Porter and Smoked Pumpkin Ale. The pumpkin was the highlight of last year's grand opening and should be ready in time for this year's anniversary party.

Second stop. Leaving Abandon, head toward Hammondsport on the west side of Keuka Lake to Steuben Brewing, 10286 Judson Road. The brewery opened at the end of September and focuses on locally sourced ingredients to support area farmers in their quest to make great beer.

The current brew lineup includes seasonal and "experimental" beers, along with a half-dozen core brews.

Steuben Brewing also has come up with one of my favorite community-supported ideas of recent years. It offers a "Steuben Club" in which members purchase shares of beer, essentially crowd-sourcing the purchase of ingredients from local farmers, promoting and supporting the local economy.

Members get some perks as well. Depending on the level chosen, they get an annual growler fill quota, a chance to taste test new brews, and even vote on upcoming seasonals and experimental brews.

Third stop. Drive another mile down the road to Keuka Lake's first brewery, the aptly named Keuka Brewing Co. Founded in 2008, KBC's beer offerings appeal to a wide audience. The flagship brews, Pale Ale and Briglin Road Ale, are good choices for those who are making the transition from mass-beer to craft-beer. For those of us who embraced the Craft Beer Revolution years ago, KBC also offers some delicious dark and flavorful brews. My personal favorite is the Local Mocha Stout, brewed with coffee from nearby Keuka Coffee Roasters.

For the adventurous, KBC also makes a Habañero Ale, brewed with spicy habañero peppers.

While KBC beers can be found on draft at an increasing number of Rochester area bars and restaurants and also at AJ's Beer Warehouse in Henrietta and some other beer retailers, there's nothing like being at the source.

Keuka Brewing Co. was this year's F.X. Matt Memorial Cup winner at the TAP New York Craft Beer and Food Festival held in April. The award is given annually to the best brewery in New York state, as determined by overall scores given during blind judging of no more than three beers.

Final stop. Just outside Hammondsport is Finger Lakes Beer Co., which has been open since 2010. The brewery currently has eight flagship beers on draft as well as a seasonal brew and their own root beer. Its summer seasonal, Watermelon Wheat, is a pleasant surprise. While one might it expect it to be overly sweet, as many fruit beers can be, the watermelon flavor is a subtle complement to the wheat malts.